81-Year-Old Retiree Wins $9.2M Jackpot

DENVER – Colorado’s newest multi-millionaire doesn’t think life will change much after winning the $9.2 million Colorado Lottery Lotto jackpot. Hank Robinson, 81 years young, planned to go home and enjoy a game of Scrabble with his sister, after collecting his winnings.

The winning numbers from the drawing on July 14 were 14, 17, 21, 31, 36 and 38. Robinson’s sister, Beverly, began playing five of the six numbers when Lotto began in 1989. After she stopped playing, he decided to play her numbers with one change. And as they say, the rest is history.

When he checked his ticket on Sunday, he said he was so startled that he just stared at the numbers for about 15 minutes. Always calm, he kept the news to himself until the next day when he shared it with his sister.

For the prize, the retired railroad engineer selected the cash option, which totaled $4.6 million before taxes. He doesn’t have any special plans to celebrate, although he plans to use his winnings to help his sister, nieces and nephews.

The $9.2 million jackpot was the largest prize since November 16, 2002. The probability of winning the jackpot is one in 5,245,786.

King Soopers, 5125 W. Florida in Lakewood, sold the winning ticket. The store receives a $5,000 bonus for selling the ticket.

Proceeds from the Colorado Lottery’s games - Scratch, Lotto, Powerball and Cash 5 - stay in Colorado to improve the quality of life in the state. In fiscal year 2006, more than $117 million was returned to Colorado. Since the lottery started in 1983, more than $1.9 billion has been returned to the state.

The Lottery proceeds are distributed to three primary beneficiaries: Great Outdoors Colorado, Conservation Trust Fund and Colorado State Parks. These organizations then provide grants and direct funding for parks, recreation, open space acquisition, trails, wildlife and conservation education.